Father Nightroad the Exorcist
by Advi
Summary: Abel and Tres are sent to perform an exorcism. Will they be able to fight a new foe that isn't a vampire? Find out inside!


Abel Nightroad and all characters associated to Trinity Blood belong to Sunao Yoshida, Thores Shibamoto, Kadokawa Shoten Groups and GONZO. Francesca, Iris, and Victor belong to Advi. All names and characters are not related to any actual persons. Any similarities are regretted.

**Father Nightroad**

**The**

**Exorcist**

A Trinity Blood Fanfiction

By Advi

Abel was asleep in his modest apartment within the walls of the Vatican. The tired priest slept contently, as he dreamt that he was eating to his heart's content at a surprise dinner party that Caterina had thrown. But, that dream came to a rude end when Abel was woken by a knock on his bedroom door. His heavy eyelids parted slowly, revealing tired, wintry blue eyes. There was another knock on the door. Abel sat up in his bed and looked ruefully at the door of his modest apartment…. or cell… he rather call it a cell, since modest was being far too polite. "Coming!" he called out, his voice raspy.

Abel threw his warm blanket aside and swung his long legs out of his comfortable bed. The floor was cold, sending a chill up his spine. He stood and walked to his door. Gripping the lock, he turned it and pulled the door open. But Abel opened it wide enough just to see who the culprit was that disturbed his much needed sleep. It was Father Tres Iqus. Abel blinked at him and opened the door wider. "Tres, what's up?" Abel asked, groggily._ If it's Tres, it must be something serious. Oh no, not another mission._

"Father Nightroad, your services are needed," Tres announced tonelessly. Abel sighed, and asked, "Is it really necessary?"

Abel was exhausted. He had just returned that evening from a very eventful mission. Tres stared emotionlessly at Abel and answered, "Your presence is requested by the Duchess of Milan; hence it is necessary that you accompany me to where she awaits you." Abel sighed. "Alright, hold on, let me get changed first." He closed the door on Tres, turned around, and complained, "No rest of the weary."

After he had changed into his faded black cassock, Abel followed Tres to the San Angelo castle, where the quarters of his superior, the only lady Cardinal in the Vatican's history resides, Cardinal Caterina Sforza, also known as the Duchess of Milan. At the door of her room, Tres knocked twice before letting himself in. "Duchess of Milan, as you requested, Father Abel Nightroad." Abel ambled clumsily into the room and saw that Caterina was seated on a luxurious looking sofa, sipping what he guessed to be tea. "Really, Caterina, should you be up this late? It's bad for your health," said Abel. Caterina placed her tea cup down gently, and looking at Abel, who had heavy bags under his eyes, said, "Father Abel, I'm afraid that you will get no rest tonight." The beautiful Cardinal gave a slight cough and continued, "Your '_other' _priestly services are needed immediately." Abel blinked at her and asked, "My other services?" Caterina gave him a sharp glare and said, "An exorcism." Abel straightened up, and for a tired man, he suddenly seemed energized. "Who needs me?"

Caterina picked up a piece of paper lying on the table in front of her and read it, "The location is in Rome itself. For more than a week, a child name Francesca, aged six, has been possessed. Her parish priest and Bishop Capello have confirmed that the possession is indeed a true possession. However, Father de Cenzo, who tried to exorcise the demon, was killed when the child threw him out of the window of her room. The fall from the one storey window would not have normally been deadly. Unfortunately, he fell onto a pitchfork that impaled him through his heart. His death was instantaneous." Abel made a sound, he was horrified. "Dear Lord," he commented, then, crossed himself and said a small prayer for the unfortunate priest. Caterina, dressed in her night robe, walked to Abel and gave him the piece of paper. "Good luck my dear friend, please save that young soul, and may Our Lord protect you and lend you his strength to fight the Devil."

Abel closed his eyes and uttered, "Amen, Your Excellency." He opened his eyes and took the paper from Caterina and stared at it. Caterina still looking up at him said, "Father Tres will accompany you, go now both of you and be safe." The two young priests nodded their heads to the Cardinal before leaving her quarters.

Walking down the dark corridor, Abel turned to Tres, who looked like a 19 year old and asked, "Hey, Tres, would you give me a lift to this place?" Tres replied mechanically, "Positive, I am to assist you."

- - - - - -

"Oh… um... " said Abel, positive that his six foot three frame would not fit into the tiny side car of Father Tres's motorbike. "Can't I sit behind you?" Abel asked, his voice sounding small. Tres seated on his bike looked up at Abel and rather dryly, said, "I do not recommend that Father Nightroad. It is against Vatican rules for priests to break traffic laws. Traffic rule #024, states that motorcyclists are not allowed to carry passengers in the city of Rome. They may, however do so if the motorcycle is equipped with a side-car." Abel sighed. _Androids and their perfect ability to recount laws in any given situation_.

Abel remembered the time when there were many crimes of snatch and grabs in the city. It was so bad that at least fifty people were robbed every day. So, in order to stop all these thefts, the authorities barred motorcyclists from carrying pillion riders. The motorcycles which were permitted to civilians within the city had low powered engines. Motorcycle engines in excess of 50cc were banned. Though they couldn't go fast, they did get you to your destination and back. However, thanks to the strings that Caterina pulled, Tres's motorbike was much more powerful than all the motorbikes in Rome. The current city police belief was that his bike held even more power than theirs, although unproven.

Abel looked down at the side car and said, "I don't think I'll fit in that." Tres looked at him and Abel could hear the loud whirring noises that Tres's spinal CPU was making. Abel wondered what Tres was thinking about when the android priest answered, "It is possible for you to fit into the side car. I have calculated your parameters and found that is within allowable limits."

"Oh… okay," said Abel, plainly. However, he soon found out that he barely fit into the small side car. "Tres," said Abel, uncomfortably, "I think… your calculations are wrong!" His back was pressed uncomfortably against frame of the seat, while he hugged his knees to his chest. "Negative," Tres answered coldly, "My calculations are accurate, Father Nightroad. You are able to fit into the cockpit."

"Just barely!" said Abel, ruefully. If Tres wasn't an android, Abel would think that he possessed a rather wicked sense of humor. Tres started the electronic engine of the bike, making it roar loudly in the empty but colossal _Piazza di San Pietro_. The sound echoed around the huge elliptical circus, bouncing off its double pair of columns, while Abel's spine pressed painfully against the edge of the seat. The powerful electronic motorbike moved forward as Tres spun the handlebars to point the bike at the exit. Then, with a jolt, the two priests rode towards the main entrance. The Swiss Guards stood aside allowing them to leave.

With the coordinates stored in Tres's computerized brain, the state of the art GPS system installed within him began guiding them to their intended location. The GPS system was a Lost Technology, salvaged from artifacts that survived the Armageddon. He navigated the streets of Rome with ease and it only took the priests twenty minutes before they arrived at their destination. With much difficulty, Abel stumbled out of the side car and fell like a sack of potatoes onto the road. Tres got off his bike and stared at Abel, who managed to stand bent over with one hand rubbing his back. "Damage report, Father Nightroad?" Tres inquired.

Abel gave Tres a glare and said, "If I was human I think my back would be broken by now." Tres gazed at Abel without a hint of emotion and stated, "Understood, however if you were human, your back would be sore and not broken." Tres always was merciless when it came to the blunt truth. Still rubbing his sore back, Abel stood straight and gazed at the windows of a small house. One of the windows on the upper level of the house seemed to be emitting a strange and eerie glow. It was strong enough to just tint the windows in a soft blue light. _This is the place all right. Just standing outside this building gives me the creeps,_ thought Abel.

"Father Nightroad, I suggest we enter the house." said Tres, in his usual deadpan manner. "All right," said Abel, as he stood on the door step and rang the bell. They heard the rushing of footsteps down a staircase and then, the sound of locks clicking. The door opened. A man, with dark rings around his eyes, peeked around the door and asked, "Oh, did Bishop Capello send you?" Abel smiled at the man and answered, "Actually, I was sent by Cardinal Sfroza. I am Father Abel Nightroad and this is Father Tres Iqus." The man's eyes widened. He opened the door to the priests and replied, "I did not expect that we would be graced by elite priests like you." Abel blushed at the man's praises. _Elite? Me? I doubt he'll be very happy to find that he's being graced by the Vatican's most incompetent rather than the cream of the crop. Perhaps I'll keep that fact to myself. Lord, forgive me of my unworthiness._

The priests entered the small house and noticed how cluttered it was. Strangely, there were mattresses laid in the hall and on them a young woman and two children were fast asleep. The man noticed Abel looking at the sleeping children and said, "We decided to separate the others from Francesca. No one can sleep upstairs. Francesca makes awful noises."

"I understand." Abel replied, "Please, could you take us directly to Francesca?" The man crossed to the narrow staircase and said, "Right this way Father." The staircase was unbearably narrow as it went up in a steep climb. Abel did not notice how low the arch was and smacked his forehead into it, while the two men before him avoided it. "Ow!" Abel exclaimed, as grabbed the guardrail to stop himself from falling backwards. Tres turned around and asked, "Damage report, Father Nightroad?"

"I'm alright!" Abel chimed. His head did hurt, but the pain of embarrassment hurt even more. Francesca's father, however, stared inquiringly at Tres. 'Damage report_'_ was a strange way of asking if a person was all right. When they reached the next level, Abel and Tres found that two chairs stood in the middle of the hallway, one of which was occupied by a middle aged lady. "Thank heaven for coming, Fathers." said the lady when she saw the priests. She rushed to them and said, "I am Iris, Francesca's mother. I must tell you how sorrowed we are about Father de Cenzo's death." Abel held Iris's hand and gave it a gentle pat, "Please do not blame yourselves for his death." Iris looked up into Abel's wintry blue eyes and tearfully said, "But… Francesca threw him out of the window… she killed him."

"It is impossible for a girl of six to hurl a grown man out of a window," Tres stated monotonously. Iris turned to Tres, her eyes wide with disbelief at the youthful looking priest. She couldn't believe how cold and uncaring his demeanor was. Abel, sensing danger, quickly responded, "What Father Tres said is correct… it is impossible for a child to lift an adult… it was the demon within your child that killed Father de Cenzo. Unfortunately, it used little Francesca's body to carry out that horrendous crime."

Iris's legs gave way.

Luckily, her husband caught her. "Be strong," he whispered into his wife's ear, then, he pulled out a key from his pocket and gave it to Abel. "This is the key to Francesca's room. Please, go on ahead, I wish to take my wife downstairs to rest." But before the couple could leave, Abel placed his hand on Iris's head and in gentle voice, prayed, "O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, strengthen this sorrowful mother in this dark hour. Amen."

"Amen, Father," the couple replied, before descending the narrow steps.

Abel turned around and walked to the door, which had chains securing its front. Together, he and Tres removed the heavy chains. "I guess if they chained a child's room this heavily it means that the demon likes to roam about. I don't think a fly could get through this net of chains." said Abel, making polite conversation. However, Tres answered, "Your statement is illogical, Father Nightroad. The chains on this room cannot keep insects inside or out." Abel chuckled lightly in a disappointed way. His short mechanical friend could not understand jokes or light humor, often making Abel feel lonely. "Oh lord, I sometimes wish you would give me a chattier companion … maybe I'll sneak some humor into this little one." Tres looked dully at the young looking priest with silver hair and asked, "Father Nightroad, please re-input, your statement does not compute."

"Oh lookie, we finally got all the chains off!" said Abel, changing the subject quickly.

Throwing the chains aside, Abel pushed the key into the lock and turned it. Grasping the lock, Abel pushed the door open and felt a shiver run down his spine. There on the bed, sat a small girl dressed in a frilly green dress. She also wore a bonnet on her head. The little girl had a grayish complexion and there were black rings around her eyes. She grinned at the two priests standing at the doorway. Then, in a scratchy male voice, she said, "Welcome Fathers… I thought I'd dress up to greet such important guests."

"A little talkative aren't you?" Abel asked. There was no hint of kindness in his voice. He strode into the room while Tres closed the door. Francesca giggled at the priests in the voice of a child, but answered in a male voice, "I will enjoy your pathetic and trivial attempts to make me leave this child. So, before I make you leave the way of your predecessor, I thought I might as well make polite conversation. Oh, I do hope you will give my regards to him, that priest had such a lovely blood curdling scream. " Abel placed a purple stole over his neck and replied coolly, "I beg your pardon Mr. Demon, but that's not going to happen."

The demon laughed. Abel decided to walk to the other side of the bed, leaving Tres at the other. However, Francesca followed Abel's every step with a smile that made his blood run cold. Then, something happened that almost made Abel jump and flee. As he turned at the side of the bed, Francesca's neck made a loud bone popping noise. It sounded as if her joints were being dislocated. Abel took a quick glance at the girl and saw that Francesca's head was turned in an angle that was humanly impossible. The veins on her neck also seemed to have popped out of their usual positions. It was a sight that would make anyone weak in the knees. When he stood behind the little girl, her head turned to face him, though the front of her body faced Tres. "A monster masquerading as a holy man and an artificial man made of metal. How interesting… what can you, with bloodstained hands, do, that a pure-hearted man could not? Do you think you can make me leave my favorite new toy?"

"Be quiet demon!" Abel said sternly. He held his golden crucifix up and said, "In the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Immediately, after he had made the sign of the cross, the little girl hissed loudly at Abel. Then, her head snapped back to the front before she fell to the bed, in a cold sweat. "Hold her down Tres," Abel ordered calmly, as he pulled out a small container of holy oil out of his pocket. Francesca squirmed, trying to wiggle her way out of Tres's iron grip. The bed began to tremble, as the little girl's face turned green and her eyes turned white. Abel bent down to the small girl and held her head in his hands. He bent close to Francesca's face and with his thumbs, he held her eyelids, exposing the whites. It was difficult to tell if her eyes had rolled up or down. Suddenly, with great strength, the little girl threw both priests off her. Before Abel was thrown off, he managed to notice that her eyes had rolled up into her head. _It's a serpent!_

Abel and Tres found themselves flung to the wall on the other side of the room. Their backs hit the wall loudly. But while Abel slumped to the floor, Tres landed on his feet, like a cat. "Damage report, Father Nightroad," Tres inquired. Abel pushed himself up and placed his glasses back on his nose, "No damage, Tres," Abel replied, "however, I've ascertained that the demon is a serpent. This isn't going to be easy." said Abel, standing up.

"A serpent." Tres stated, his spinal CPU making whirring noises. "Possible names… Satan the devil, Lucifer, Beezlebub, Azazel, Samael-" Tres was cut short when the girl began to levitate. Quickly, both priests rushed to the sides of the bed. Abel placed a foot on the bed and boosted himself up. He managed to wrap his arms around Francesca's small torso; however, he could not pull her down. Tres did the same and held on to Francesca's legs. He too, with his mechanical strength that was strong enough to break down a thick metal door, was not able to pull the little girl down from above her bed.

Abel, a Crusnik, one of the strongest creatures on the planet, also struggled to bring the six year old down. Crusniks were stronger than normal vampires, the Methuselah, who were in turn ten times stronger than regular humans.

The room became very cold. It was as cold as the frostiest day of winter.

Wrestling with all their might, Tres and Abel managed to pull the child down. As the pair struggled to hold the girl to her bed, Abel began to pray.

"Most glorious Prince of the Heavenly Armies, Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in _our battle against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places._ Come to the assistance of men whom God has created to His likeness and whom He has redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil. Holy Church venerates thee as her guardian and protector; to thee, the Lord has entrusted the souls of the redeemed to be led into heaven. Pray therefore the God of Peace to crush Satan beneath our feet, that he may no longer retain men captive and do injury to the Church. Offer our prayers to the Most High, that without delay they may draw His mercy down upon us; take hold of _the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan_, bind him and cast him into the bottomless pit... _that he may no longer seduce the nations_.

It was an ancient prayer, which traced its roots back to the Twelfth century. Abel's prayer managed to settle the girl and she stopped struggling against the priests.

Abel stood straight and removed the purple stole from his shoulders and wrapped it around the small girl. She began to shiver, as her eyes rolled to show the whites again. "Tres, please hold her down as I anoint her with the holy oil." Tres obediently obeyed Abel and watched him perform his duties.

That was also when Francesca's father returned to the room. "Can I help you?" he asked. "Yes," Abel answered, "please hold on to your daughter's legs and keep her from moving, if it's possible." Her father came to the bed and gently held his daughter's legs to the mattress. Abel placed a bit of oil on his thumb and then traced a cross on Francesca's forehead. "_Accipe signum Crucis tam in fronte,_ (Receive the sign of the Cross on your forehead)"

Immediately, Francesca tried to get up, but Tres held her down; however, her father, who only held her legs gently, was kicked by his daughter in the face and fell to the floor. Abel knew he did not have time to inquire if the man was unhurt, and traced another cross on Francesca's chest, "_quam in corde, sume fidem caelestium praeceptorum: et talis esto moribus, et templum Dei iam esse posis. _(and on your heart. Know that you are bound now by a heavenly rule of life, and let your conduct henceforth prove you fit to be a living temple of God.)" Abel stood away and looked at Francesca's father. "Are you alright?" he asked kindly.

"Yes," the man answered, rubbing his chin. "I'm sorry," said Abel, "but, I never did get your name." The man stood up and replied, "My name is Victor."

"All right, Victor this time hold your daughter's feet down with all your might, I've just started and what just happened is nothing more then a prelude of what is to come." Victor nodded his head to the priest and held his daughter's legs down again.

"You filthy monster!" the demon within Francesca shouted, "How dare you try to take what is mine!"

"Foul serpent, this child does not belong to you!" said Abel, putting away the small container of holy oil and pulling out a small decanter of holy water. Rubbing away the oil that was on his thumb on his faded black cassock, Abel wet his hand with holy water and traced a sign of the cross on Francesca's forehead.

"_Signum sanctae Crucis, quod nos fronti eius damus, tu, maledicte diabole, numquam audeas violare. Per eumdem Christum Dominium nostrum._" (The sign of the holy Cross, which we put on her forehead, do thou, foul spirit, never dare to violate. Through the same Christ our Lord.)

However, as he did that, the holy water burned Francesca's forehead. It surprised all those in the room, even Tres. Though Francesca's little body was being held down, she arched up, in an attempt to levitate once again. Francesca opened her mouth and the demon cried out in pain. It was a voice that was neither human nor animal. It was a voice that stood up all the hairs on the back of Abel's neck. Still screaming in pain, Francesca shook her head rigorously from one side to the other. Worried, Abel, held her head from moving.

Her body went limp. She opened her eyes and glared angrily at Abel. "Bastard, get your blood-soaked hands off me!" the demon swore at Abel. However, it did not faze the young looking priest. Certain that Francesca was too tired to move, Abel held his hands away and put a bit of holy water on her ears, by wetting his thumb with it and touching the little girl's ears. The demon did not like what Abel was doing and growled its disapproval.

All of the sudden, the bed trembled violently on the wooden floor, creating a loud drumming noise that made Abel's and Victor's ears ring. "Hold on to her!" Abel shouted through the drumming. However, without warning, the noise ended abruptly. The sudden silence seemed loud. Then, Abel noticed something odd about the bed. It seemed to have gained height. _Am I imagining things? I could have sworn the thing was lower just now._ Abel wondered.

"The bed is levitating," said Tres, looking down.

Unexpectedly, the bed swung to the right. Victor lost his balance and fell. With a loud metal thunk, Tres caught the grill-like headboard, stopping the bed from moving any further. Victor noticed that he was under the bed, a dangerous place to be, and quickly got to his feet. Now that her legs were free, Francesca thrashed her feet violently on the mattress. The demon within the child bared its teeth at Abel and screamed.

The tall silver-haired priest was the only person now who held the child to her bed. It was no easy task. Francesca managed to sit up in bed, before Abel forced her down again. "Victor, please help me hold your daughter down!" Abel shouted, as he fought to hold the girl to the bed. Victor came next to the priest and helped Abel to keep his daughter from moving.

Quickly, Abel took hold of his golden crucifix and pressed it to Francesca's chest. Chanting loudly, he recited the Lord's Prayer. Immediately, she stopped moving. Half-way through the prayer, the bed dropped to the floor with a loud bang. Then, Francesca sank into her mattress, as if the crucifix weighed her down. They could hear the springs straining loudly under the child's body. When Abel concluded the prayer, the air stilled in the room as the child was half-swallowed by her mattress. Abel lifted the rosary off his neck from which the crucifix hung, and placed it on Francesca's little body.

It was an odd sight to see the child, lying sunken in her bed.

"I'm going to begin the exorcism now, both of you please be on your guard," Abel warned Tres and Victor. He then sat on the side of the bed and lifted his golden rosary and crucifix off Francesca. Slowly, as the springs squeaked, they watched Francesca's body rise out of the mattress. Abel placed his rosary around his neck, and then held its golden crucifix in front of the little girl. "You… can… not… make… me… leave," the demon spoke weakly. "She is mine… she… was gifted… to me."

"Gifted to you?" Abel questioned. _What is this demon talking about?_ The priest wondered. But suddenly, his eyes widened in shock as something clicked in his mind. "Who gave this child to you?" Abel asked fiercely, still holding the crucifix in front of the girl.

"A close family friend, whom desired this man's wife." Victor looked like he had been stung by a bee. This was shocking news indeed. "The wife spurned this man and he takes his revenge though the daughter. He gave this child to me. She is mine!" the demon said, angrily.

"I'll kill him!" Victor shouted, "I'll kill him for making us suffer like-" he stopped when he noticed that the two priests were staring at him.

"I'm sorry father, but I cannot forgive!" said Victor, crying. "I cannot forgive!"

Abel gazed at Victor.

Calmly, he spoke, "It's okay if you cannot forgive this person at the moment. It's humanly impossible right now. What you feel at the moment is anger, hate, and distress. But once this is over, a time of healing comes. The way to heal is to forgive this person of his crime."

"I can't!" shouted Victor, "Not for all that my wife and I have been through! Not for all the sleepless nights we have spent! Not for all the pain I have felt in my heart!"

"What about Francesca?" Abel asked, ever so calmly. Though the tone of Abel's voice was as calm as a glassy lake, his wintry blue eyes watched Victor sternly from thick round glasses. "What about the suffering Francesca has been through and is experiencing right this minute?" Abel asked again. "If you are able to forgive this person, you can help your family and your wife to overcome all the suffering that you have been through. In order to recover fully, you need forgive and forgive truly from your heart, or you will carry the burden of hate till you die." said Abel, his voice and features, composed and serene.

Victor shut his eyes tightly, pain etched over his features. Abel was asking the impossible of him. But all of a sudden, the demon spoke, "Hate, hate, hate with all your might. It is not wrong to hate."

"Victor!" Abel called out, "Don't listen to the devil! He's wrong! It's wrong to hate, don't be tempted to hate!"

The demon within Francesca laughed, "It is futile Priest! Humans are so easily tempted; they desire what we offer rather than God! You shall see, priest, he'll listen to me and not to you. I offer him what he wants… Hate! Go on Victor, it is not wrong to hate. Hate the person who brought such infernal suffering onto your beloved family. Hate, hate will help you overcome all the suffering that you have been through. Forgive the man who brought all this trouble onto you? Why? Do what is human and hate. Get revenge, it will heal you."

"You're wrong!" Abel shouted at the demon. "Humans wish for hope more than hate! It's very easy to hate, but in the end you're left empty! Hate brings nothingness!" Abel turned to Victor and said, "Victor, don't listen to the devil, listen to me, do not hate… there is nothing but deep emptiness there. It's all right to be angry right now, Victor. No parent can bear to see their children suffer… but please, consider forgiveness… if not, then you are the same as the man who brought this suffering upon you. He did this because he could not forgive your wife for spurning his advances. Don't hate, please don't."

Victor looked up at Abel with tears in his eyes.

"NOOooooooooooo!" the demon screamed.

At that moment, Abel knew he won. Victor stood up and held his daughter's legs down. Then, angrily, he shouted at the demon, "MY Daughter Does Not Belong To You! GET OUT OF HER!!"

The demon screamed again in anger.

Abel turned back to Francesca and holding his crucifix aloft, he said, "Behold the Cross of the Lord! Flee bands of the enemy!" Francesca trashed violently on the bed, but Tres and Victor kept her from moving.

They valiantly held her to the bed while Abel continued his prayers. The demon screamed in agony each time Abel made the sign of the cross in front of it or blessed the little girl with holy water.

Through the night, and without showing fatigue, Abel went on, reciting his prayers for exorcism. The demon, on the other hand, weakened severely. Victor, inspired by Abel's words earlier, stayed with the priests through the night.

Finally, as the first rays of dawn lit the darkened sky, Abel said, "Tremble and flee when we invoke the Holy and terrible Name of Jesus, this Name which causes hell to tremble, this Name to which the Virtues, Powers and Dominations of heaven are humbly submissive, this Name which the Cherubim and Seraphim praise unceasingly repeating: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, the God of Hosts!"

The only window in the room burst open, giving Abel and Victor a fright. Then, something happened to make the three men look at each other in horror. There were loud sounds of glass cracking. They looked about and saw that all the glass in the room was cracking, from the picture frames, to the windows, and a large mirror.

"This isn't good," Abel said, nervously. "Affirmative," Tres agreed.

Without warning, all the glass shattered. Shards of razor sharp slivers filled the air, flying in all directions. It was a sparkling storm of death. Abel sheltered the little girl with his body, while Tres, who had already anticipated the glass shattering, covered Victor with his bullet-proof body.

The glass rained on them and fell to the floor, making a sound that was akin to the ringing of small bells. Once it was over, Abel stood up and winced. He had a number of glass shards pierced into his back. He also noticed that his sleeves had small rips in them. _Oh great, once I repair this cassock all my clumsy stitching is going to make me look even poorer. Oh no, Caterina will really punish me if she finds out that I ruin yet another cassock!_

While any other person would worry about their injuries, Abel was worried more about the state of his clothes. It wasn't because of vanity rather, it was because his body could recover at a miraculous speed. Even as he feared Caterina's punishment, the glass that pierced his back was falling out one by one as his wounds healed instantly.

When he looked down at Francesca, he noticed that her skin had returned to its normal healthy hue. Her eyes, though looking quite tired, were the prettiest shade of green that Abel had ever seen.

"It is done. Thank you… O Lord." Abel said in a whisper, his eyes closed. Opening his eyes, Abel gave the girl a warm and caring smile. "Hello there!" he said chirpily, "Good morning Francesca and how are you on this fine and lovely day?"

"Tired," the little girl replied in a small voice that brought warmth to the room. Abel chuckled at the girl.

Abel and Tres stayed with little Francesca, praying with her for another half an hour before they finally left. To Abel's displeasure, he had to endure the small side car of Tres's motorcycle once again. He didn't complain too much this time; it was after all the only way he could return to the Vatican, fast. The morning buses were already going about their hourly routes, transporting people around the city. By the time they returned to the Vatican, Abel was fast asleep, as uncomfortable as it was.

However, he woke with a jolt when Tres's motorbike came to a stop. Abel's glasses slipped off his nose and hung around his neck by its chain. "Huh… are we there yet?" Abel asked groggily, his eyes mere slits. He could hardly open his heavy eyelids.

"Honestly, Abel." He heard Caterina's voice. Abel put on his glasses and looked about. He found Caterina looking beautiful in her crimson cardinal vestments on the steps of the Vatican. Abel lurched out of the side car and fell on his face. Caterina closed her eyes and sighed.

"Damage report, Father Nightroad?" Tres inquired. Abel tried to stand, but, his numbed legs tangled and he tripped again. "Very sleepy," answered Abel. Tres got off his motorbike and went to Abel and helped the tall priest up. "Father Nightroad, I shall assist you to your quarters. I have deduced that it is too dangerous to allow you to continue alone."

"Aww… Tres, that so cute!" said Abel, kindly. "Father Nightroad, please re-input, your statement does not compute." Tres stated. Caterina bit on her lower lip to keep herself from laughing at her two rather silly priests. Abel was very fortunate that Tres wasn't human and only understood Canon Law and priestly ethics perfectly. Any other man would have beaten Abel to a bloody pulp for being referred to as 'cute'.

Caterina walked up to her two favorite priests and said, "That's a wise decision Father Tres. Knowing this man, he'll probably walk into all the marble pillars of the Vatican before he gets to his room."

"Ah, Caterina that's mean," said Abel weakly.

"I concur with the Duchess of Milan. The worst probability that I have calculated is that Father Nightroad may also walk into his Excellency, Cardinal Medici." said Tres, in a matter of fact way. Abel stared at Tres. _If I didn't know better this fellow does have a sense of humor! _

"Lord forbid that," said Caterina. If Abel did clumsily walk into her elder half-brother, Cardinal Francesco deMedici, he would find that as a good excuse to close the AX and excommunicate Abel and all her other priests out of the church.

"Go on, both of you, you deserve a good rest… especially you, Abel." The priests passed by their superior as they made their way in. When Abel finally returned to his room, safely thanks to Tres, he closed the door and threw off his clothes, chucking them in a basket. He then got into his pajamas and climbed into his disheveled bed. He pulled his blanket over and the moment his head hit his pillow, Abel Nightroad was lost to this world, as sleep took him to the land of dreams.

* * *

Hello everybody out there, I'm back after a long hiatus from .

Okay I know what most of you out there must be asking, 'Hey, Advi, where's Sister Esther?" Well, this is my first Trinity Blood story without the red-haired nun. I wanted to do TB fics without Esther as a tribute to the awesome Rage against the Moons series.

I would also like to thank Avidtalker for doing a marvelous job of proofreading this story. I know this story would not be posted if it wasn't for your help. Thank you!

Okay, now for a few notes about the story with Father Abel Nightroad himself!

Abel: Oooh thank you very much!!

Advi: Now, the prayer to St. Michael the Arch-Angel is actually much longer than the one in my prayer book. Father Abel, can you please explain why?

Abel: Well, that's a good question Miss Advi. Actually it depends on the prayer book and its publishers or when it was published. The prayer to St. Michael that I used in this story is the prayer in its original length. The parts in italics are actually excerpts taken from the bible!

Advi: Wow, that's interesting! And, Father, what about the prayers you used in Latin, what were those?

Abel: Ahh… it seems you have forgotten the prayers for Baptism!

Advi: Well… I can't help it… the previous ones I've been to were group baptisms and they were pretty short.

Abel: Sigh… that's true. The original Baptism prayers were very long. A lot of things have been cut down these days because there aren't enough priests to go about in the world of today. You know, cutting down prayers isn't really good. I am not the only priest who feels this way. My sentiments are shared by the real Vatican's top exorcist, Father Gabriele Amroth. People on the net, you can find out more about him if you Google his name. He's really famous.

Advi: Well, this wraps up the end of our conversation, Father Abel, do you have any parting words for our readers?

Abel: Yes, I do! I hope all you out there will pay me a visit when you watch your Trinity Blood DVDs, and please, do buy original. Now if you buy bootlegs or if you prefer pirated anime DVDs, you're just giving money to criminals… which means I don't get paid and that means I won't get to eat… so… please… don't let me starve!! Even Crusniks need to eat food like roast chicken!! Cries

Advi: Er… Father… those were some parting words…

Story updated on 16th June 2008.


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